April 14, 2016
VOLU ME 71 | ISSU E 23 | 50 ¢
A publication of
A DA M S C OU N T Y & J EF F ER S ON C OU N T Y, C OLOR A DO
WestminsterWindow.com
DAUGHTERS DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
Colorado workforce demand in focus A special report by Colorado Community Media Staff report
Daughters take a moment to dance alone from dads and together with other youth April 9 during the 21st annual Father Daughter Ball at the Westin Westminster. The ball, sponsored by the Westminster Parks and Rec Department, provides an opportunity for dads and their daughters to get together and cut a rug, while socializing with other families and spending quality time together. See more on PAGE 36. Photo by Stefan Brodsky
Vehicular homicide suspect to be charged Preliminary hearing finds sufficient evidence against driver alleged of killing Westminster woman By Christy Steadman csteadman@colorado communitymedia.com A man will stand trial for his role in a Valentine’s Day crash that killing a Westminster single mother of three. Jefferson County courts will go forward with proceedings Jose Sandoval Cruz, 23, is accused of speeding through a red light and operating the vehicle while intoxicated. Cruz was in a Jefferson County courtroom on April 8, where Judge Ryan Stuart made the decision to move the case to trial, following testimony from four law enforcement officers at a preliminary hearing. The crash occurred at about 10 p.m. Feb. 14 at the intersection of West 80th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard in Arvada. According to police, Cruz’s silver 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee
crashed into a grey Chevy Malibu, driven by Monica Zapata, 40, of Westminster. Zapata’s daughter, Jessica, 15, Zapata suffered moderate injuries in the crash, while Monica Zapata died a short time later. Police said Zapata suffered rib and skull fractures, as well as a lacerated liver and head trauma. The cause of death was blunt force injury due to motor vehicle collision, according to Arvada Police Detective Alan Stephens, the lead investigator in the case. Charges against Cruz include vehicular homicide, DUI, reckless vehicular homicide and leaving the scene and other charges. Charge continues on Page 5
State of housing topic of meeting Metro North Chamber event sheds light on housing shortage in region, state By Gene Sears Special to Colorado Community Media The Metro North Chamber of Commerce offered up a buffet of market experts and development professionals at a breakfast housing seminar April 7 at the Todd Creek Golf Club in Thornton. Professionals shared a common viewpoint when it came to the state of housing in Colorado: Business is booming. John Covert, regional director for housing data analyst Metrostudy, opened the overview by making a connection between “in-migration” spurred by new job growth and the housing boom. He said the housing market remains booming in Colorado, with estimates trending toward a 10- to 15-percent growth in new house construction in 2016. According to Covert, a good portion of that growth is tied to in-migration, with the region adding approximately 50,000 new jobs last year. In addition, metro Denver set records last year for housing re-sales, with nearly 55,000 units transferring hands. “That’s never been done before,” Covert said. “And of course, you read in the papers every day about how Housing continues on Page 20
With the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the nation, 3 percent, Colorado has made mountainous gains when it comes to economic development following the recession that struck in December 2007 and lingered for years. Businesses are flocking to the Centennial State, and Coloradans are finding work. But employers increasingly are finding it difficult to find the right workers to fill their jobs. Metro North Chamber of Commerce President Angela Habben said, at least in her organization’s part of the Denver area, the workforce isn’t meeting the market demand. “Either employers can’t find workers willing to do the job or they can’t find prospects with the training required to meet position qualifications,” she said. Simon Fox, deputy director of Business and Funding Initiatives for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, said the demand is great for wokers in the fields of information technology and skilled trades. “There aren’t enough welders or carpenters,” he said. Democratic and Repbulican state lawmakers are working together to address this. The 10 bills comprising a bipartisan package called Colorado Ready to Work are making their way through the Legislature. The overriding theme is creating partnerships between the business and education communities, with the goal of developing a workforce that can meet Colorado’s growing and changing demands. For many business leaders, measures like these can’t be passed soon enough, given the massive growth the Denver metro area figures to see in coming years. “That’s a real supply-and-demand dilemma if we don’t act soon,” Habben said.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
MORE INSIDE On pages 6 and 7, we take a look at the Colorado Ready to Work package, and at what is being done now to train the workforce in the face of growing and changing demand.
WESTMINSTER WINDOW (ISSN 1072-1576) (USPS 455-250) OFFICE: 8753 Yates Dr., Ste. 200, Westminster, CO 80031 | PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams and Jefferson County, Colorado, the Westminster Window is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 8753 Yates Dr., Ste. 200, Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 12 p.m. | Classifieds: Mon. 2 p.m. | Obits: Mon. 2 p.m. | Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m.